Sampling apparatus



Dec. 16, 1941. RNQM' 2,266,586

SMPLING APPARATUS l Filed Feb. 15, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l gt g 3 JJ Inventor v y E/er Franza By'gf; am;

orneys Dec( 16, 1941.

E. BRANUM A 2,266,586

sAMPLING APPARATUS I Fild Feb. 15, 1958 2 sheets-sheet 2 37 Zia/erf @ranura Aorneys I nventor Patented Dec. 16, 1941 '2,266,586 SAMPLINGALPPARATUS Elbert Branum, Hutchinson, Kans.

Application February 15 Claims.

My invention relates generally to sampling apparatus, and particularly to apparatus for sampling the exudations from wells in the course of drilling of the wells or in other earth working operations, and an important object of my invention is to provide sampling apparatus of the character indicated which is substantially automatic in its action of catching, washing and drying the cuttings of oil wells in particular but which is also admirably adapted for catching, washing and drying other types of samplings.

Another important object of my invention is to provide sampling apparatus of the character indicated which carries on the operations of catching, washing, and drying the cuttings or the like in a continuous operation by means assembled as a unit in a single machine, whereby all hand operations are eliminated and the work done more efiiciently and speedily and at a lower cost.

Other important objects of my invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein for purposes of illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a general side elevational View of the embodiment with portions thereof cut away in longitudinal section to disclose interior mechanism.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view looking from left to right in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectionalview taken through Figure 1 approximately on the line 3--3 and looking toward the right in the direction of the arrow.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1 thereof, the numeral 5 generally ldesignates an upright generally rectangular, open framework composed of angle irons, which rests on and is supported by a base which is generally designated 6 and which will be located usually in the immediate neighborhood of the trough into which the oil cuttings are discharged from the well or the like.

The framework 5 supports in its upper part the housing 1 which encloses the substantially semi-cylindrical reticulated conveyor casing 8, with the bottom 9 and sides of the housing 1 defining an inclined trough below the semi-cylindrical casing 8. As indicated in Figure 3 of the drawings, the top of the housing 1 is open and the bottom thereof is generally semi-circular in cross section, and declines toward the right as seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, Suspended 1938, Serial No. 190,554

longitudinally along the middle of the housing 1 and above the reticulated semi-cylindrical casing 8 is the water spray I0 which is fed by a water pipe II having avalve I2.

Supported substantially concentrically in the reticulated casing 8 is the rotary conveyor el-ement I3 which has a substantially continuous fiber brush I4 fixed to its surface and formed of fiber bristles. The roller I3 is mounted on an axle I5 which turns in respective bearings I6 and I1 mounted on end cross members I8 and I9 of the frame 5,

As shown in Figure 1 of the drawingsy the depressed end of the bottom 9 of the trough under the reticulated casing 8 has a discharge 20 which empties into a drain pipe 2l which is mounted by a bracket 22 to the right hand end of the framework 5. It will also be noticed in Figure 1 that there is a drain 23 depending from a sump portion 24 in the right hand end portion of the bottom of the reticulated casing 8 and that this drain penetrates the bottom of the housing 1 and empties into a sheet material trough 25 which is supported between the end members of the framework 5 below the housing 1 and which is substantially semi-circular in cross section and contains a conveyor screw 25 comprising the roller body 21 and the screw thread element 28 fastened along its surface, the roller being mounted upon an aXle 29 which turns in suitable bearings 33, 3l mounted on cross members 32 and 33 at the opposite ends of the framework 5.

lAt'the left hand end of the trough 25 is a discharge 34 to the lower end of which is adapted to be fastened temporarily a bag or sack 35, whereby the dried samplings from the trough 25 can be packaged.

Below and running along the bottom of the trough 25 is the burner 35 which is preferably of the gas type and which is fed by a suitable conduit 31 containing a valve 3B leading from a suitable source of fuel, the purpose of this arrangement being to supply the necessary heat to the trough 25 for drying the cuttings as they are fed by the conveyor 26 along the trough 25 from right to left for discharge into the sack 35. It will be understood that the fiber brush thread I4 on the conveyor I3 is arranged so as to feed the wet cuttings from the left hand end of the reticulated casing 8 as the cuttings are placed in this casing by the discharge pipe 31 leading from the discharge side of the force pump 38 and that the cuttings are fed along the reticulated casing -8 by the conveyor and pass under and are washed by the sprays from the spray arrangement I0, from which water issues under the desired pressure. The small and fluid elements resulting from this action fall through the reticulated bottom of the casing 8 and collect in the trough therebelow and are conveyed by gravity and Iby the washing action of the falling water down along the inclined bottom of the housing l to discharge into the drain pipe 2|. The washed cuttings after passing to the right hand end of the casing 8 fall through the drain 23 into the trough 25 at the right hand thereof, whence these cuttings are moved toward the left hand of the trough 25 in a movem-ent which is accompanied by application of heat through the presence of the burner 3E below the trough 25, so that when the cuttings reach the discharge 34 they are in a suitably dried condition.

The framework 5 includes an extension 39 in the lower part of which the force pump 38 is mounted with the intake 40 thereof reaching to the source of the cuttings. The upper part of this extension 39 has a bracket 4| acting as a bearing for one end of the jack shaft 42 which has its opposite end journaled in a bearing 43 mounted on a cross member 44 of the framework 5. A pulley and belt drive 45 running between the pump 38 and the jack shaft 42 operates both of these agencies through the medium of application of power from a suitable source such as electric or gas engine to the pulley 46 on the jack shaft. A pulley and belt arrangement 4T drives the shaft I5 of the upper conveyor from the jack shaft 42, and another belt and pulley arrangement 48 drives the shaft 29 of the lower conveyor from the jack shaft 42, proper provision being made for rotating by this means, and simultaneously, the two conveyors I3 and 2,6 at the proper relative rate of speed and in coordination with the operation of the force pump 38, so that the feed of cuttings to the conveyors for the washing and drying operations will be at the required rate. A cut 01T valve 49 is placed in the discharge pipe 31 from the force pump to enable further adjusting the feed of the cuttings to the reticulated casing 8.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be denitely understood that I do not desire to limit the application of the invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in the structure and arrangement of the parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope f the subjoined claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A sampling device comprising a frame, a material sieving conduit on the upper part of said frame, a rotary conveyor in said sieving conduit, said conveyor comprising a screw composed of bristles arranged to brush the sides of the sieving conduit, an imperforate housing enclosing the sides and bottom of said sieving conduit and having its bottom declining toward the discharge end thereof, a retained material discharge pipe depending from the discharge end of said sieving conduit and passing through the depressed discharge end of said housing, an imperforate conduit on said frame beneath said housing and having its intake end in receiving relation to said retained material pipe, a screw conveyor in said imperforate conduit for moving the retained material toward the opposite end of said imperforate conduit, and a collector under the said end of said imperforate conduit into which said screw conveyor discharges the retained material or samples.

`2. A sampling device according to claim 1 wherein spray means overlies said sieving conduit and a waste iluid receptacle is supported to receive the iiuid discharged from the discharge end of said imperforate housing.

3. A sampling device according to claim 1 wherein a bulk material supplier discharges into the intake end of said sieving conduit, and wherein said supplier, said rotary conveyor, and said screw conveyor are operatively connected to work in synchronism to control the rate of entry, the rate of sieving of the bulk material and the rate of discharging of the retained material or samplings.

4. A sampling device in accordance with claim 1 wherein spray means overlies said sieving conduit and a Waste uid receptacle is supported to receive the waste fluid discharged from the discharge end of said imperforate housing, and burner means disposed along the bottom of said imperforate conduit for drying the retained material on its Way to said collector.

5. An apparatus for sampling well cuttings comprising means for receiving cuttings from a well, means for diverting a portion of said cuttings as samples, a screen, means for delivering the sample cuttings onto said screen, a heater, an endless conveyor for receiving the screened cuttings from said screen and conducting the same through said heater, and means beneath one end of the conveyor for supporting a container in position to receive the dried cuttings.

ELBERT BRANUM. 

